4.3. Conclusions

The findings of the study confirm the researchers’ earlier assumptions and make it possible to draw important empirical conclusions, including the fact that several basic issues matter in the overall assessment of the stay abroad. The first one is personal experiences built on relationships with people from the closest environment. What matters is who belongs to this circle and how one can communicate with them. According to Steve, “people are always a… huge factor… you know, ‘cause everything is person to person, every interaction you really make this down to a person” (37–38). Additionally, Sasha mentioned that when you do not know any locals and your proficiency in Polish is poor, you may feel “like an animal […] surrounded by other animals who speak other languages” (264–265).

Getting to know a local person is always the key to a fruitful and fulfilling stay. This was reflected, for example, in the account of Borys from Ukraine. In most cases, foreigners began to feel more confident thanks to a person who started to keep in regular touch with them (Helena, 278; Jura, 59). In the case of Helena, support came from academic teachers, who encouraged her to stay in Poland. She recalled it as follows:

EXTRACT 124 278 […] two of my teachers from the university really inspired me and they are also 279 from Ukraine, but they actually taught me, aaa…, different, aaa… aspects of Polish culture and 280 showed me that Poland is a really cool country and they encouraged me to continue my life 281 here, so they were like my other parents.

Esmeralda also spoke of building such rapport (64–65).

The respondents highly appreciated their relations with Poles: invitations to their private homes, participation in family gatherings, or joint celebrations of holidays such as Easter or Christmas (e.g. Meghan, 151–153). In their opinion, these were opportunities to delve into the essence of Polish culture, which you cannot experience as a tourist.

Saskia from Spain (5) stated that a longer stay abroad is always a challenge. Like any other move to a new place, it involves making new friends and loosening the existing ties. This view was shared by Oksana and Michalina, who also admitted:

“I think… the hardest was this… this integration” (57). The difficulties most likely arise from the fact that a language as the primary means of communication plays an important role in the process of establishing rapport within a group. Unfamiliarity with the language of the host community excludes an individual from its metaphorical boundaries – “people put you outside” – and therefore, you have to “put more effort in the learning of the language” (Fabiano, 56). A solution to this predicament was to meet people who share a similar position. Nonetheless, this sometimes resulted in relying on the international student bubble, which limited the possibilities available in the host country. This was the case for Helena from Ukraine, who initially conversed primarily with her compatriots and thus failed to learn Polish so as to be able to start a professional career or even build deeper relationships with Poles. This changed once she moved to another city, where she established an extensive network of contacts and integrated with Poles to a greater degree.

Some foreigners realised how crucial proficiency in the local language (e.g. Luika, 175–176) and assistance from local residents really are. The role played by their Polish buddies proved particularly crucial in day-to-day functioning in Poland, which would be very difficult without this support, as confirmed, for example, by Sandra:

EXTRACT 125 114 R: Yhm, I would say…, like…, uhm…, like, my mentor has been a really, really 115 positive influence. I was in contact with him before I came here. And now being here 116 he’s been and he helped me, like, bus pass…, and a bank account started and a phone and 117 all these good things… So, without him, I think,

I would be very lost. Just doing that stuff 118 now… So, yeah, meeting the people… is always new people and they always show you 119 new things, like, this cute place…, so, yeah, things like that.

The need to speak Polish came to the fore in the case of the students who have become more aware of their long-term (professional) goals based on conditional values. Helena, a Ukrainian, studied applied linguistics in Lublin for three years. At that time, she did not learn Polish because she interacted exclusively with Ukrainians and the languages of instruction at her university were English and Russian. Only after visiting a professional event in Warsaw did she realise that she

would not be able to always communicate exclusively in these languages. Helena then came to the following conclusion:

EXTRACT 126 176 R: I faced problems with language again, because lots of people spoke Polish especially people 177 from administrative part so… my English wasn’t enough, and of course Russian as well because 178 it was Warsaw, so not Lublin, and… that is why I saw that at the time I need to study Polish more 179 in order to be able to continue my career, so I need Polish.

She noticed the benefits of investing time in learning Polish, which further motivated her to improve her new skills. Several other interviewees also confirmed the idea that mastering the local language becomes a means of gaining agency in everyday life and building higher self-esteem. Contrary to their expectations and a strong belief in the status of the Lingua Franca English, most of the respondents realised during their stay that speaking Polish is a ticket not only to everyday functioning or career development in Poland, but also to deeper private relationships.

The analysed narratives enabled a detailed insight into the experiences of the persons studying and working abroad. Based on them, it can be concluded that the stay of young people abroad is a huge step towards adulthood and a chance to take responsibility for oneself. Acquiring unique life skills and international contacts, whether academic, professional or personal, is invaluable. It is also an opportunity to improve social and communication competences as well as develop intercultural awareness and problem-solving skills. For example, during their stay in another country, students have to face new situations or difficulties related to medical care or public transport. The data gathered by us shows that they usually try to solve problems on their own. Only in a few cases, where they could not communicate with local residents, did our respondents depend on their Polish friends. The data also indicates that studying abroad is a lesson in openness and cultural awareness as well as a chance to improve proficiency in English and learn about new customs and traditions.

The data obtained also made it possible to analyse the respondents’ attitudes towards the education system in the host country, which turned out to be mostly positive. The respondents appreciated the possibility of studying at a foreign university and getting to know another system of higher education. In their

opinion, the academic staff was sufficiently competent and equipped with the necessary skills to teach in English. They also appreciated the interesting ways in which lecturers conducted their classes.

Considering all the information collected, it can be concluded that the respondents found their stay in Poland successful in many respects, including, among others, the study abroad experience. They also appreciated the opportunity to see both their host country and their home country from a brand new perspective.

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